When talking about the food and wine culture of our country, the philologist Piero Camporesi was certainly not wrong in praising Pellegrino Artusi’s work: 790 recipes of peasant origin contained in his manuscript of 1891 “La Scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene” (Science in the kitchen and the art of eating well).
It is a cooking manual and compendium of recipes of the home-cooking tradition, made of local and often humble ingredients, and bound to the land, the seasons and the farming methods.
The queen of the cuisine in Romagna is hand-made pasta, which is at the base of many tasty first courses, also with broth.
Among the many kinds of pasta are passatelli, made of eggs, breadcrumbs, Parmesan and nutmeg, but also cappelletti, hand-made with a cutting board and a rolling pin and filled with cheese and Parmesan.
There are also tagliatelle, usually dressed with meat sauce, and strozzapreti, made with water, flour and salt (and not eggs) but by no means less tasty.
Then, of course, there is piadina – also called piada – used instead of bread and considered as one of the backbones of the culinary culture of Romagna.
Thicker in Romagna, thinner as you move towards Rimini, it is stuffed with many different ingredients – cold cuts, cheeses (Squacquerone di Romagna PDO in the first place) and fish as saraghina (a kind of grilled bluefish seasoned with parsley and garlic), but also vegetables, creamy fillings and jams.
Among the most typical desserts are the worldwide famous zuppa inglese (a dessert made of custard, alchermes and ladyfinger biscuits) but also ciambella romagnola, simpler but very tasty if dipped into sweet wine or Sangiovese.
You will always find also good glasses of wine – from the strong and well-bodied Sangiovese DOCG, suitable for the rich dishes of the Romagna cuisine, to Albana, perfect with cheeses and desserts.
